(Cricinfo) For the second match in a row, Sunrisers Hyderabad turned it on in the penultimate over to clinch a tight victory and go top of the table, defying all pre-tournament predictions. While Amit Mishra conjured a heist in the previous match with a hat-trick, this time it was Thisara Perera’s three massive sixes in the 19th over that settled yesterday’s game.
Kings XI Punjab’s Azhar Mahmood got a duck in the previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders, but he made up for that with a three-wicket haul. He failed with the bat again, and was doing a terrific job of compensating with the ball once again, having given away only 15 in his first three overs. With the game on the line – 18 needed off 12 – Kings XI trusted Mahmood again, but this time he came up short, as he served up three length deliveries that were clobbered into the crowd by Perera.
The first six over long-on would have exorcised some demons for Perera. A week ago, in the game against Delhi Daredevils, he had attempted a similar shot in a similar match situation and had picked out the man at long-on, leaving the tailenders the responsibility of closing out the chase. Yesterday, there was no chance for the fielder at long-on, as the ball sailed comfortably beyond the rope to effectively seal the match.
